Monday, March 19, 2012

Yes! Columbus is a Fortress! (usmnt)

"I fully expect that Crew Stadium will be a site for the U.S.- Mexico World Cup Qualifier. Our history of success with the U.S. National Team in this venue, both on and off the field, speaks for itself."

Woohoo! Yes! First things first though. I've seen the placards around Crew Stadium that do tell of USA victories, but what exactly are the numbers for the US Men's National Team here in Columbus? Is it something to be proud of?

8 Games. 5 Wins. 3 Draws. 0 Losses. 12 goals for, 1 against

That's right. USMNT has never lost in Columbus. Only other city to boast that stat with over 8 games? Fullerton. Wait. Fullerton? Yes. All in 1994. Sort of an outlying data point as we played a bunch of World Cup related games against the likes of Bolivia, Estonia and Armenia. Very important to note for the childrens: That was a REALLY good US team (maybe our best ever) against weaker competition.

Foxboro, Mass could argue for the modern international soccer fortress on US soil. Our "Wembley?". 14 wins, 4 draws, 2 loss. However, only one game against Mexico (Draw). Columbus boasts THREE double yous againnie Mexicanio. All 2-0 WINS.

I've put the usmnt record by host city (with at least 8 games) data up. LINK.

Washington DC pulls up in the 3rd spot behind Foxboro and Columbus. 12 wins in 20 games there. Cool fact is that DC holds the 2nd highest goals for avg. of all cities.

Not surprising that: In Miami, Chicago and NY... 50 Games, 17 wins, 12 draws, 21 losses all totaled, are not great places to get results. Making money? Maybe. A good thing is the 'away' feel the players might get. Tougher games make better teams.

I guess what I'm saying here is that, for whatever reason, Columbus is the right place to hold important National Team games if a win is necessary. It might not be what Mexico City is for Mexico but it is just about the best we've got.